Electrolytic water-purifying apparatus.



B. HARTMAN.

BLBGIROSy IC WATER PURIFYING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED Muze, 1909.`

Patented Mar. 8, 1910.

WITNESSES INVENTOR uNrgiED VSTATES PATENT OFFICE` HAzanY "B, HARTMAN, or rrrrsnune,y PENNSYLVANIA, AssIGNon 'ro'iuenowELL MANUFACTUBING COMPANY or -rITTsaURG, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION or -PainterLvANrA. y

i Specication of Letters Patent. "Application ifeii my 22, 1909. serial No.- 4s7,731. y

ELECTRCLYTIC wATnn-IURIFYING ArrARA'rUs..

Patented Mar. S, 1910.

y To all whom it may concern:`

Be it known that I, HARRY B. HARTMAN, a resident of Pittsbnr in the count of Allegheny and State cfg eimsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Electrolytic Water -f Purifying fication.-

The invention relates to apparatus lfor.1 purifyingwater and other liquids electrolytically in which the liquid is subjected to the action of an 'electric current flowing 'alternately A and equally between metallic' 4apparatus. of the kind named in which the the liqui nomical manner.

The essential features of the invention consist in mechanism for making and breaking the electric circuit to the electrode plates 'with the starting and stopping of {iowof lthe liquid but in a manner to maintain the circuit somewhat longer than lthe How of liquid so as to insure the full treatment of all parts of the liv uid; in aplparatusfor subjecting to-` severa successive treatments by the electric current and between" such treatments mixing the 'water and holdin it with theconfined salts and gases for suc a period of time asY to enable the gases and lliquid is thoroughly. purified and in an eco- -salts toract upon the organic Vmatters connthe accompanyingdra g, Figure lis' tained in the water; in the use with au alternating current or a currentfperiodically reversed to flow alternately an equallym opposite directions, of electrodes of alumi.

num or of'aluminum alloy,'which under the action ai the electric currenbgive oi aluminum Oxy-hydrate and on account of thereversals of the current remain clean; in mechanical filtersA for'ltering the liquid after' treatment electrolytically 1n order to sepa rate therefrom the 'coagulum and occulent precipitates; and in-.other devices herein-` after-described and claimed.

asectional .diagram f 'thwPmfls and Apparatus, (Case 2,) ofwhich thefollowing is a speci' r and breaker on an enlargedvscale. VIn thedrawing'l illustrates a sealed electrodev box in which the liquid is subjected to the action of the electrlc current.v This Fi 2 is a sectional view of the circuit ma e box is rovided with a plurality of sets f electro eJplates, each set being shown as.

consisting of three plateanamely, the out-" 'side plates 2 and the intermediate plate said plates being so arran ed that the li ui enters at the upper end o one .outside p ate,

as at 4, thence flowsv downwardly between said plate and the intermediate plate, l11n- Vderneath the-latter asat 5, thence up be-4 tween said intermediate plate and the other outside plate and over the top of the latter,

as at 6. The inlet ,to the electrode box is at and the outlet is at 8 on the o posits side or end and at the top, so that die box is always full of liquid andthe plates entirely covered. 'The plates are so set 1n the bo'x that the liquid cannot esca around the ed es, but 1s compelled to ta e the course in icated. Between the two sets of electrodes is a space 9 of 'very materially greater cross-sectional area than the s aces between the electrodes, so that the iquid passes through the same at a very much reduced rate of tlow,',in order that the gases and. salts generated between the plates have time tov act upon the impurities in the'liquid, and particularly to permit the aluminum oxy- `ydrate and oxygen or ozone :generalt'edto coagulate and precipitate the or anic matters in the liquidi This space or brevity is termed a coagulation or reaction chamber. The bog: is tightly sealed in order that 4the gases cannot escape, but remain confined in the liquid. In order to mix the liquidl and ses 1n this space, and also to prevent the ormatlon' of a dead pocket, it is divided .by means oa .baie piat'wlO rejecting from the tp downwardly towar the bottom so as to compel'the li uid" to. flowy down' underneath the same an thence up to thesecond group of plates.I The box shown is provided with two grou s or-sets of electrodes and, a 1

single'interme iatecoagulation or reaction esired 0d.

space, butlivibusly any desired number of oups of plates may be rovided, and any fnumber' of p ate's maybe vused The electrode lates areset in the box'so current iow somewhat longer than the liq' as to be insulat therefrom, such as by being setin thelining 11, which in turn is separated from the metal box by the insulation 11". To further prevent leakage of current an insulating section .V12 is placed Vin both the inlet-pipe 13 and the outlet pipe 14, and the'box 1s supported on insulating .bodies 15 of porcelain, glass, ber, or other insulating vmateriaL Thelpartlcular box illustratedA and described is shown, 4described and claimed in my ap lication filed concurrently herewith,

Serial o. 497,732, but the apparatus is not limited to the use of this specific box, it

being suicient to provide any form of sealed ".box lhavinfftherein a plurality of sets of electrode llatesin order to .give successive treatments to the liquid, with intervening .erator 416 which is connected by j mains 17'4 ofe ectrodes. No e `'reaction spaces.'

The electrode plates are formed of aluv'minum or an alloy or composition containing valuminum which under the action Vof the electriccurrent gives ofi'l Oxy-hydrate of aluminum which is insoluble in water and 'forms a flocculent precipitate with the impurities in the water. 1n conjunction with such aluminum or aluminum alloy plates I vuse either an alternating current, or atleast a periodically reversing current, such as described in my application SerialNo. 418,745, filed March 2,1908, which current is reversed in a manner to'cause the current to flow alternately in op osite directions for equal or uniform erio s of time during the flow of the liqui In the presentinstance there is. illustra-ted a source of alternating current, such as the alternating current gen- `and.1l8. to connections; 19 and 20,-respectivel ,'-to the outside plates 2 of each group eotrical connection 1s madetothe-intermediate plate or'plates of -"each group, but the latter in each instance` Y so t' and 'loose -become'bi-polar. The current flowing alter- -from timel to time and. for this purpose flushing outlets' controlled by valves 2l are. provided in the bottom of the'electrode boxv I' underneath each set of electrode plates," and "a Vsimilar. outlet controlled by valve 21 is providedY in the bottom of thecoagulat'ion and reaction chamber 9..

In order to economize in current the circuit to the electrode box is made and broken .with the starting and stopping ofthe flow of the liquid through the apparatus, and this is effected in a manner to maintain `the uid flow. Various forms of apparatus to effect this purpose may be used.' As shown Y in the drawings .this circuit interrupter isarranged to break both sides of the circuit between stationary' contacts 22 and movablecontacts` 23.' Supplemental carbon contacts 22* and 23"L are also provided, the former being arranged to sllde vertically, said carbon contacts making the circuit before and r breaking it after the making and breaking 'at the metallic contacts 22 and 23. This is for the purpose of preventing arcing. The.

movable lcontacts are connected to means whereby the circuit is closed at the beginning of flow of liquid through the purifying apparatus, but slightly before such flow. begms., and is broken by the interruption of liquid flow but somewhat later than the ces sation of such tlow, in o'rder to insure the proper electrical treatment of all liquidA flowing through the electrode box. The

particular 'mechanisnr for effecting such is a piston 29 provided Ywith a yoke 30 hav-A ing a sliding tit on stem 3l of'the valve. Saidv Stemat its upper end 1s provided with a nut or head 32 which limits the' amount Serial No.

of idle or lost-motion movement whichffthe pistonmay have upwardly without lifting the valve 28 from its seat. above the piston ,is connected by relief passage 33 with the outlet side of thecasing and the piston is also providedwith a small equaliziug port 34. Connected to the piston is a rod 35 projecting up through-a stelline' box in the upper end of thecasing'an through the upper' end of a bracket 36. This rod and the istbn are normally h eld The chamber.

depressed by a'he ical compression sprlng 37 surroundin the rod between the bracket 36 and an adjustable collar 38 secured to said rod. Secured to rod 35 above the bracket is a cone-shaped body 39 which in the upward movement ot the rod 'contacts with'and carries with said rodvthe crosshead 40 carryingfthe 'movable contacts 23 and which.- cross-heud is' slidably mounted on'said'rod. A helical compression spring 41 is put under compression when the crosshead moves upwardly. lVhen fully elevated the cross-head is locked in position to I hold .the circuit closed by means of triggerY 39 las the latter approaches the limit of its downward movement.v

The operation of this circuit maker an Y breaker 1s as follows: When the service pipe is closed and .no water is flowing throu h the apparatus the Valve 28 is seated,- the piston 29 is in -itslowermost position 'and-the circuit is broken. As soon as Vthe Yservice pipe-is opened the pressure above the piston '29 isinstantly relievedthrough passage 33 and .consequently said iston is forced Aupwardly. A 'lhis carries t e cross-head 4() u wardly and closes. the circuit between t e terminals 22 and it. 'These terminals contact before the lost-motion between the piston yoke 30 and valve stem head 32 is entielytaken up. The further upward movement of piston 29 brings the yoke 30 into contact with theA head 32 of the valve stem and lifts said valve, thus permitting Vwater to flow through the casing. The circuit, however, -was closed between the terminals l 22 and 23 before the valve 28 was opened,

' one set of said terminals being vmountedto` slide to allow for'the further upward mvement of the piston-29 and cross-head 40 af-l ter the terminals contact.: As soon .as the servicev pipe is closed the pressure backs up throu h' relief V 29 an brings saldtpiston down quite sharply until the valve 28 sea'ts.fThe closing of valve 28 cuts off communic'ation between the supply side ofthe casing and the passage 33 so that further equalization .cannot take place through saidrelief` passage 33, and :the subsequent piston to comefu y down must take place, through the small leak ort 34. Thissso.

ualization to small that the pistonv escends farther but slowly under' the action yof s rlng 37. Meanwhile the cross-head40 remains locked inelevated position by trigger fora considerable period of time after the valve 28` is s'eatedand until the piston 29 approaches the limit of its downward movement, `when the cone 39v contacts with the projecting porlfrom thecrossead.. This, permits-spring tion of .the tri ger' vand releases the same alto snap the cross-lieaddownwardly `and eek-the circuit. i The circuit controller ldescribed .operates 'entirely automatically to' make and break `the circuit by the turning on and off `of the 'water or other liquid bemgpurified, but in such a manner that the current through the electrode box is established before any liquid begins to flow through the saine, and the breaking of the circuit is retarded for some time after the liquid ceases to fiow through the electrode box. Consequently it is not possible for any liquid to escapetreatment by the electric current foran adequate period of time to destroy all of the organic Vmatter therein. From the electrode box the liquid passes through pipe to the lower assage 33 above the pistonchamber 46 through which it rises an thence asses by pipe 47'to a four-way Valve through ipe 49 to the up er end of a' me- 'chanical ter 50. To the ower end of said filter is connected a pipe 51 leading to the liquid to vertical pipe 53 also connected ing connected by pip'e 54 to the upper end of the mechanical ter 55. i end' of the latter filter is connected a tee 56 to which .is connected a pipe 57 leading to the three-way' valve 52,and the service ipe 24 is also connected to said tee. A fius ino pipe 60 provided with valve 6l is connecte any desired kind of mechanical -filters Preferably the filter 50 is filled with fine quartz or sand and the filter55 with charcoal or the like. In the normal position of the four-'way `valve 48 and three-way valve 5 2 as shown the liquid is conducted through filters 50 and 55 in succession flowine downwardly throu h eachfilter. By changin .the-position o the three-way valve 52 an openin ythe -fiushing valve 61 the liquid from".` e lower end of filter 50 passes through the three-wa valve 52 and pipe 57 'to thelower end of' lter 55 and upwardly throughthe latter and-then through pipe 54,.fourway valve 48 and pipes` 53 and G0 rmit the,

to the finishing outlet, it being understood ,that the service spigots are meanwhile closed. Byv reversing the four-way valve 48 and changlno'the position of the three-way valve 52, as a ove,the liquid coming through 551and thence by pipe 57 through three-way vvalve 52, through pipe 5 1 into the lower end of filter 50, thence upwardly through the latthence through pipes 53 and 60 to the flushing outlet.4 In this manner. each of the filters can be separately washed by clean liquid coming through the other filter.

Thexcircuit controller is located in the. service pipe 24 and hence is operated as soon as any liquid begins to flow in the latter. Furthermore, thepressure-of the gases generated tends -toahold back the flow of ruw liquid into theelectrode box` and hence the 'not a ected o'r retarded by such gnspressure, whereas if located in the. supply pipe it would not be operated' until the Gas pres- 'suiewas suficiently released to allow raw li uid to begin to fiow into the electrode box.

e apparatus described provides for the 'complete and'thorough purification of the liquid witha minimum amount of electric current, `but in a manner to insure all portions of the liquid being acted upon by said 48 .whic normally is set to direct the water.A

three-way valve 52 whlch-normally directs to the four-way-.valve 48 and the latter be-4 Tothe lower.

ter` and by pipe 49 to four-way valve l48 and location of. the circuit .controller in the serv- 1ce p1 e 1s of importance afs its operation 1s end of a vertical reaction and ozonizin to pipe 53. The filters 50 and 55 may be'- of pipe 47 passes downwardly through filter Y 1 comprising in combination,

current. Actual use of the apparatus has shown that it destroys vor removes from Water practically all of the germs and organic matterwithout rendering the Water iiisipid orunplea-saiit to the taste.

'What I l c aim is: 1. Electrolytic liquid' purifying apparatus comprising in combination, an electrode box,

` arranged to retard the opening ot said circuit maker and breaker until after the liquid ytlow ceases.

43. Electrolytic liquid purifying apparatus comprisingin combination, an electrode box, electrical connections thereto, a source of current flow -alternating in opposite directions,a circuit maker and breaker in said connections, a device controlled by'tlie flow ofthe liquid through the appai'atus'and arranged to actiiate said circuit maker and breaker, and means operative after the cur- Yrent flow ceases for breaking the circuit- 4. Electrolytic liquid purifying apparatus comprising in combination, an electiode box,

Aelectrical connections thereto, a. source of alternating current, a circuit maker and breaker in said connections, a device controlled by the flow of the liquid through the apparatus and arranged to actuate said circuit maker. and breaker, and means for retarding the opening of said circuit maker and breaker until after the liquid flow ceases.

5. Electrolytic liquid purifying a paratus comprising in combination, asea ed electrode box, electrodes containing aluminum therein, electrical connections thereto,` a circuit maker and breaker in said connections.

a device controlled by the aow ofthe liquid cuit maker 'and through th'e apparatus and arranged to actuvvate said circuit maker and breaker, andA means for retarding the opening ofsaid c irbreaker until afterthe liquid flow ceases.V

6.- Electrolytic liquid purifying'vapparatus comprising iiicombination, an electrode box,

electrical connections thereto, a circuit maker and breakerin said connections, and a de` vice controlled by the -flowbf liquid on the to actuatc .sa id serrice'side of the apparatus and arranged circuit maker and breaker,

Vcontaining electrodes therein withcoa tion or reaction chambers between sai 1" sets and arranged to retard the breaking of the circuit until after the liquid flow ceases.

7. Electrolytic liquid purifying ap aratus, comprising in combination, a sealed e ectrode box, electrical connections thereto, a source of current flowing alternately in opposite directions, a circuit maker and breaker in said connections, and a device controlled by the flow of liquid on the service side of the apparatus and arranged to actuate said circuit maker and breaker and to retard the opening thereof until after the liquid ilow ceases.

8. Electrolytic water purifying a paratus comprising in combination, a sea ed electrode box,`aluminum containing electrodes therein, electrical connections thereto, a source of current liowing alternately iii opposite directions, a circuit maker and breaker in the connections, anda device controlled by the flow of liquid on the service side of the apparatus andarranged to actuate said circuit maker and breaker and toretard the opening thereof until after theliquid ow ceases.

9. Electrolytic liquid puriyin apparatus comprising in combination, a'sea ed conduit, a plurality of sets of aluminium electrodes therein with coagulation or reaction chambers between said sets of electrodes, a source of current tiowing alternately in opposite directions, a circuit maker and breaker actuated b'y the flow of the liquid through the apparatus, and a filter connected to said conduit.

10. Electrolytic liquid' 'purifying appa- I ratiis comprising in combination, a. closed conduit, a plurality of sets 'of a1uininium- 'c ntaining electrodes therein with coagulation or reaction chambers between saidsets of electrodes, electrical connections to. said electrodes, a circuit maken and breaker in said connections, and means actuated by the '1 How of liquid through the ap aratus and ari" ranged to open and close sai of until after the li uid How ceases.

il. Electrolytic liquid circuit maker=-= and breaker and to retard the opening thereulifyng. apk-f* ratus comprising m-combination, aiseaedl conduit, Ya plurality of sets ofalumi'nium".

of electrodes, a' source-ef reversely .Howin current, a circuit maker and breaker, an means controlled by the flow of opening and closing said circuit ma er Aand breaker and'arranged to retard the opening thereof iiiitilafter the liquid .i How ceases.

ln testimony whereof, I have hereuntqset HARRY .n.1HARTMAN.V 7 y my hand.

lYitnesses: HOWARD NEELY, F. W. Wiii'rni'i.

li uidfor r 

